What is your experience or opinion on car covers? Some background. Live in the San Francisco bay area so it does not get really hot or cold. No garage so the two mustangs, '68 convertible and '68 fastback, sit in the driveway between two story houses. Means they are not sitting in the hot sun all day but do get some. When we got the convertible painted we mentioned that we were going to get a car cover and the guy said not to. Gets too hot under the cover and is bad for the car. So, we did not get one but I'm tired of washing one day and having them look dirty two days later. What about during winter? Holds the water in and causes mildew? Just got the fastback back from the painter and want to do it correctly.
When I lived in the bay area, I had a cover for my IROC-Z. My Z was my daily driver and it was a pain to use all the time, but it did look good with it on. It was a heavier cover that was supposed to be more weather resistant than the typical light blue colored covers. But, it still let rain through and then the car didn't dry as fast after a rain. And, you had to store a wet cover if you wanted to drive it too.
I've yet to see a good cover for long term storage, short of the roof inside a garage.
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If I'm asking a questsion about my car, it's a '67 Coupe, 289 2bbl, C4, P/S, manual brakes, no A/C. I'm restoring it so I can SELL IT!
I used a cover outside on a 88 mustang gt I had and when I would pull it off the car would be dirty like the dirt just sifted through it after a while. I also read or someone told me that an outside cover will just blow in the wind and rub on your paint. So I think the only real thing it would do is keep your paint from fading.
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Greg
1969 Mach1 "S" code 428 4-speed 3:89 gears,
31 spline posi "N" case, ported edelbrock heads,
full length headers, 292H Comp cam, 750 holley.
Born July 17, 1969
You don't want a thick cover for outdoors, you want one that'll breath and dry-out quickly.... Evo 4 and Noah covers are both good bets for your needs...
Hot under the cover?? No, it's the opposite... Don't know what that painter is smoking...
One thing I would NOT do is cover a car that's freshly painted... Give it a month or two in the sun, then start using the cover..
Don't worry about "water proof", breathability is far more important to your car's safety and preservation than a bit of water getting through... And when the rain stops, a good breathing cover will allow the water to evaporate back out in no time flat. The water goes down through the sewn seams anyhow, so even if the cover was made out of rubber, the water would find it's way through the seams.
No cover at all is tough on your interior and paint over time if the cars are strictly outdoors..
No cover at all is tough on your interior and paint over time if the cars are strictly outdoors..
Only problem I have is the dirt between the cover and the cover it's self rubbing and making your paint dull. When I use my indoor cover it doesn't go on the car unless the car is clean.
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Greg
1969 Mach1 "S" code 428 4-speed 3:89 gears,
31 spline posi "N" case, ported edelbrock heads,
full length headers, 292H Comp cam, 750 holley.
Born July 17, 1969
we have a nice waterproof/breathable cover. i dont know how much truth there is to all of that, but after a rain, its dry underneath, and we havent had any mildew/moisture problems either, so who knows. Ours is garage kept most of the time, but we take the cover when we take it to work or out, and there are some times that it has stayed outside. I wouldnt think you could get enough wind to rub the paint off. I know you are not suppose to transport a vehicle on a trailor covered for that reason, but just everyday wind, especially in between two buildings?
Like someone else mentioned, if you use the cars much, it is a huge pain to cover and uncover everyday. Also, I would not cover a dirty car. JMO
I found some decent ones from empire. This cover was a replacement cover for a custom cover that cost three times as much and started leaking water and collecting dust under the cover in less than a year. My Empire cover is 4 months old, has survived numerous strong thunderstorms and seering Texas sun, and so far is exceeding my expectations. I have 3 cars under cover, soon the other two will be covered by Empire.
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Car Cover - Yes or No??
